>"The transistors have complex shapes to make the most efficient use of the space."
What are some of the constraints and factors that go into deciding the individual shapes here? Does each Transistor have to meet a minimum width or gate length?
>"The dynamic latch depends on a two-phase clock, commonly used to control microprocessors of that era."
I thought this was interesting. When exactly did chip makers move away from using two separate clocks?
A key factor for a MOS transistor is the gate's width/length ratio, since the current is proportional to this. This ratio is tuned to the particular role of the transistor, usually by adjusting the width. Sometimes the gate zig-zags to fit the width into the available space.
As far as clocks, four-phase clocks were popular for a short time earlier. I don't know details of the clocks in modern processors, so maybe someone can comment.
>"The transistors have complex shapes to make the most efficient use of the space."
What are some of the constraints and factors that go into deciding the individual shapes here? Does each Transistor have to meet a minimum width or gate length?
>"The dynamic latch depends on a two-phase clock, commonly used to control microprocessors of that era."
I thought this was interesting. When exactly did chip makers move away from using two separate clocks?